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Friday, August 3, 2012

Around the world with hamburgers at Oakwood

Yesterday, I stopped work at 12 to head across town to Oakwood Joy Nostalg in Ortigas for a lunch full of hamburgers. I don't usually eat burgers, but I was sufficiently intrigued by the idea of going around the world -- sounds very much like a Travelife -- via all kinds of hamburgers.

Oakroom’s Burgers of the World, a beguiling hamburger festival featuring the classic smoked, decked, grilled and flamed favorites from around the globe, begins on Monday and goes on until September 15. It's literally the United Nations equivalent for a hamburger festival.

During this time, Executive Chef Jerome Cartailler will be offering an array of hamburgers made with toppings, garnishes, and sauces representing the unique flavors of different countries.

The North American Classic Double-Double Burger is a double-decked ensemble with Canadian bacon, crisp smoked bacon, Swiss cheese and onion rings on a sesame bun; while the British Burger is not actually a hamburger but a crisp-fried fish fillet, accompanied by shredded lettuce and lime mayo on a soft bun with chips.

There's even a Mexican Burger that comes with nacho chips, a Korean Burger with kimchi on a rice disk (similar to the rice burgers sold at Mos Burger in Japan), a luscious French Burger with hefty slices of Camembert cheese and bits of foie gras under a brioche bun. There there's an Italian Burger on a toasted ciabatta bun and an Argentinian burger with Chimichurri sauce, Manchego cheese and an egg.

Meanwhile, the Mediterranean Burger is actually a grilled lamb kofta on a kalamata olive bun, while the Caribbean Burger comes with mango ginger relish and grilled pineapples on a toasted sesame bun.

For the health-conscious, there are even lighter kinds of hamburgers -- a South Asian vegetarian with light curry gravy and paneer cheese on grilled naan bread, and a South Beach Burger with glazed tofu and a thousand islands dressing.

A MEATY SAMPLER

Yesterday, I had a sampler which included the French Burger with Camembert cheese, the Korean Burger with a rice patty and kimchi, and the British Burger which was actually fish and chips in a bun.

Everything was good, but I really liked the French Burger. It was done just right -- not too cooked, but not undercooked either -- and the Camembert really went well with it.

The others at my table liked the Korean Burger because it was so different. No one had ever had kimchi with a burger and rice before.

But after closing our upcoming TRAVELIFE August-September issue with the most comprehensive feature on Paris ever, I'm still in a French mood. So the French Burger was my top pick, and I could've eaten three of those. Maybe next time, sometime soon.

As for the conversation at lunch, I can tell you that it was terribly scintillating. Perhaps one of the most interesting I've had in a couple of weeks of really interesting lunches and dinners. Unfortunately, I don't think I can blog about it...

Just another day in our never-ending, and never-endingly eventful Travelife.